The 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance marked a revolution in how finalists for the Best of Show award and title are judged. For the first time, a 'preserved' (i.e. not restored) car won, the Bugatti Type 59 Sports with which King Leopold III of Belgium competed between 1934 and 1951.
But to this, as the organizers themselves underline, was added the surprising presence among the four contenders for the prize - with the Bugatti a 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport and a 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve LeBaron Sport were selected - of futuristic Lancia Stratos HF Zero Bertone Coupe from 1970.
The 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports presented by Fritz Burkard of the Pearl Collection in Zug, Switzerland, was sold in 2020 by Gooding & Co for 9,535,000 pounds (11.2 million euro) and - despite its 'subdued' appearance with obvious signs of wear on the paint and chrome now turning towards rust - it is a marvel of engineering, powerful and perfect for racing.
It was born with the characteristic French blue paint, but at the explicit request of the King of Belgium when it was set up as a road car by Bugatti himself (this Type 59 is part of a group of 4 official Grand Prix cars, then sold to customers) the bodywork it became black with yellow stripes, the colors of Belgian racing cars.
Of the four former Grand Prix cars, the victorious Type 59 Sports at Pebble Beach remains the only Bugatti racing car to have been transformed into a sports car directly at the factory. And today it is in original unrestored condition as a perfect testament to the period in which it thrived.
In the transformation in Molsheim - where the mechanics affectionately called her 'Grand Mère' (grandmother) - the engine compressor was removed and a new oil tank with two-pump lubrication was added. Furthermore, the bodywork of the Type 59 was adapted with side doors, small motorcycle fenders, a small windscreen and headlights positioned very low.
"I am so happy for the car and so happy for the Bugatti - commented owner Fritz Burkard - This car is incredible. And it represents so much history, one of the most successful Bugattis."
"Winning with this car means a lot to me. The first time a Swiss wins, the first time a European wins, the first time a preserved car wins. It is also important that the conservation (i.e. the absence of restoration ed.) be recognised, because a car can only be original once." The surprising Lancia Stratos Zero - which entered the final to compete with the Bugatti and the other pre-war cars - is instead a 1970 show car designed by Marcello Gandini (the father of the Miura which won a class at Pebble Beach) for Bertone and presented at Turin Motor Show of that year.
It uses a V4 engine from the Lancia Fulvia (it is said that it was recovered from a wrecker) but placed in a central rear position.
Never entered into production, the Lancia Stratos Zero was recognized as a visionary tool for - as Gandini himself, who recently passed away, declared - "attract the attention of visitors and above all of professionals". The important thing, for the Turin designer, was "to get talked about". The proportions of this perfectly running concept car are linked to the fact that all the mechanical parts are placed in a lowered position on which Bertone created a car with an exaggerated wedge shape which stands out for being 3.58 meters long and only 840 meters high mm.
